Friday, 26 May 2017

"GMA" is teaming up with Reader's Digest on a special series of "13 Things Your ____ Won't Tell You." Add as much as 15 percent to your home's value with these expert landscaping tips.

1. Ditch the mower bag. Those grass clippings will become food for earthworms and microbes that will help make your lawn green and healthy.

2. Sure, the view from the street is important, but don't forget to look at your landscape from inside the house. If you have a room with a big window, make sure it looks good from there too.

3. Don't fill every inch of your space with plants and flowers. By next spring, you'll have a weeding and pruning nightmare.

4. That "pretty" red mulch you love? It has been found to contain arsenic and other harsh chemicals that can be harmful to children and pets and will contaminate your soil.

5. Hate bagging leaves? You don't have to. If there's just a light layer, go over them with your mower and leave them on your lawn. As they brea k down, they'll help limit weeds from popping up.

6. You can send a sample of your soil to a local agricultural agency to have it tested. Dig down six to seven inches deep and then gather two cups of dirt into sample bags. Mail them off to find out what nutrients you need.

7. If you find a flower you like, always buy more than one. Plant clumps of species in odd numbers, such as five or seven in Sprinkler System Rockwall one area, or repeat the groupings throughout your landscape for a unifying effect.

8. Do-it-yourself landscapers tend to make their planting beds too narrow and too close to the house. You want to extend your beds out at least one to two thirds of the house's height, if not more.

9. Laying weed fabric is generally a waste of money and time for the long term; we eds just grow on top of it. I once had a customer whose beds had seven layers of weed fabric, yet she still had weeds. I guess she kept thinking, If I put down just one more layer, the weeds will stop coming.

10. Most lawn fertilizers have about 30 percent nitrogen, which is way too much. Look for fertilizer with time-releasing water-insoluble nitrogen and use it only twice a year on a steady schedule, like on Memorial Day and after Labor Day. In general, well-irrigated and older lawns need less fertilizer.

11. Watch out for a gorgeous plant called purple loosestrife, or Lythrum salicaria, which a lot of nurseries still sell. Though it's inexpensive and has a lovely flower, it's an invasive species that will spread everywhere and choke out other plants.

12. To keep from overwatering your lawn, remember that one inch of water once a week is ideal, maybe once every five days in extreme heat, depending on your soil. Infrequent watering encourages roots to grow dee per to find groundwater, creating a stronger plant.

13. Looking at a color wheel is a great way to choose garden flowers. Colors that are opposite each other, like yellow and purple, look beautiful together.

Friday, 12 May 2017

If you have a garden outside your home, then you have obviously gone to a lot of trouble to install the best sprinkler system to take good care of it. So, you're also aware that your irrigation system needs to be 'winterized' as a mandatory step towards its long life and efficient functioning. But you have no idea about how to do it or when to do it. Have no worries. This article will answer those questions for you.

*These methods are very basic and may be different for different sprinkler systems. Hence, professional assistance is recommended.

Methods to Winterize a Sprinkler System

Often times, during winter (whether it snows for a day or two or for a few hours), the pipes of your irrigation system are exposed to frost. This causes the water in the pipes to freeze and renders a lot of damage to the PVC piping, due to the intense pressure. Hence, you need to ensure that the pipes do not get damaged. For this, first of all, you must make sure that you install a system that uses the appropriate material to make the pipes. The best option is a polyethylene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBmN2PTUB7w one. It has the tendency to expand in extreme pressure. However, you must still winterize the system, else you'll have to go through a rigorous repair routine that may cost you a lot of money.

Method # 1: Manual

This is the most basic method to do it. During installation, you must have received some maintenance instructions. Go through them and check which method would be most suitable for your system. For the manual system, this is what you do.

First, switch off the main water supply to the pipes.

Then go and turn on all the manual drain valves on the pipes.

By opening these valves, you enable all the water that is in the pipes to get drained out completely.

When you do this, also open up all the test valves connected to the back-flow instrument.

This will help to drain any water that has remained between the main supply valve and the back-flow instrument.

After you are sure that all the water has been drained completely from the entire body of the sprinklers, turn off all the drain valves on your system.

Method # 2: Automatic

An automated winterizing system is one that has an inbuilt detector, which can detect if the water pressure is increasing. When the pressure exceeds 10 PSI (pound-force per square inch), it automatically sends a signal that it needs to be drained and begins the draining process. Given below are the steps to activate this automated syste m.

First, go and shut off the main water supply.

Then you need to pick a station to set off the pressure relieving system.

All the water will get drained.

Once the water is drained, you basically follow the same steps like the manual system.

There is another method c alled the blow out method which can be used to winterize your sprinkler. However, it is better done under expert guidance or by a professional. Until then you can use the above methods which are quite easy to follow.

Thursday, 11 May 2017

Nowadays drip irrigation systems are in the main accepted as essentially the most economical method of irrigating. Unlike other watering systems, for example sprinklers systems waste water by over spray on driveways and other areas that where not meant to be watered and evaporation. These days more and more gardeners are converting their watering systems to Drip systems. The reality is that those who do not is not going to have the ability to compete with people who have, purely for economical reasons.

whenever you measure up to drip irrigation systems to sprinklers we are able to understand the reason for why most people are converting. Its is a fact that sprinkler systems are approx: 80% effective, drip line systems typically are 90% or a bit more. These statistics propose that with Drip line systems you will have considerably less waste of water. Drip line systems works by making use of water gradually, on to the soil. By doing so the Spinkler Installation water is applied closer to the crops root system where it should be most needed. For the reason that the water flow Sprinkler System Installation Dallas is very slow, it should be soaked into the soil with a small amount or no run off. There're also easy to set up and take care of. There is no particular equipment or skill sets required and in small garden beds areas is usually installed by one person. One of these is the Dripline or also referred to as the Inline drip are by far the most common used in the majority drip line systems. Most popular top quality Drip irrigation systems are constructed from poly tubing with self-enclosed drippers welded into the internal wall at fixed intervals.

There are some important ways to follow when fitting and designing a Drip irrigation systems to guarantee you get the most from them and you don't have any difficulties. There are actually many variables that will determine how far-off apart every drip line ought to be. You are required to take into account, the soil and flowers or plants types and weather conditions and environment conditions belonging to the region. To work efficiently it is crucial that when planing the Drip system spacing is calculated in the approved manner. One of the simplest ways to work out the accurate distance for the Drip line system is to make use of a scale diagram to calculate the square foot age of the area that need be watered. It can be important that you find out what kind of soil you have before you come to a decision which product is the best choose for you.

Most Drip systems are best installed in a grid configuration that includes a header and collector pipe in 1/4 inch polythene pipe. This will likely provide by far the most efficient system along with providing the best places to install air release and flush valves. If a Drip system will get a break in the pipe or drippers and the Drip system encompasses a dead end there is a good possibility that this can be where the debris will end up and this implies you will have a blocked dripper at some stage.

It can be worth noting that with drip watering systems the accessories may very well be viewed as peace of mind for the system. If you plan on watering a whole garden and backyard with Drip line systems then than accessories like air release valves and filters are necessary. Then again, if it is just being used to irrigate a small garden bed then its overkill to spend $120 on protection for $35 worth of product in this instance a inexpensive filter, pressure reduction valve and an air discharge valve is perhaps all you will need.

Wednesday, 10 May 2017

The Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaVuq0ULck is a gear driven rotor sprinkler for use with large turf areas. This is an upgraded rotary sprinkler and has more capacity to handle business areas like parks, schools and other community buildings. The Weathermatic CT70 Rotary Sprinkler is four inches in pop-up height. It has one inch female thread inlet on the b ottom and a rubber cover for safety. It also comes with a safety clutch that prevents gear stripping whenever you start turning the turret by hand. This style of rotary sprinkler is a part circle model and it can adjust from 40 degrees to 360 degrees.

The Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler also has an internal screen, a wiper seal, a stainless steel spring and adjustment screw. The sprinkler set comes with five nozzles, a well oiled drive unit and a built-in check valve. There are some protective parts to the rotary sprinkler, like a cover lock that protects against vandalism and a non-potable cover, for use with systems that use reclaimed water. Lastly, there is a stainless steel sleeve that protects pop up riser stem.

Now that you know the specifications of the Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler system, what does all of this mean? Rotary sprinklers are a type of garden or lawn sprinkler and spray water from the tips of two or three spray arms. These arms spin as the sprinkler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsaVuq0ULck waters the entire site. Depending on what type of rotary sprinkler you buy, these arms may be fixed or have adjustable tips. Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler system is designed for large turf areas, which is unusual, since most rotary sprinklers are made for small to medium sized areas. Deluxe units for rotary sprinklers provide three adjustments: mist or https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/ jet spray by turning the nozzles, or a spray diameter which is made possible by swiveling the nozzles in or out; or by stationary watering.

The Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler has extended bearing surface area heavy duty bearings. This allows the part to offer extended life span and protection from winterizing procedures that use compressed air. This unit also has an exclusive Tri-Port nozzle which enhances the water pattern with its different levels like close, mid, and long range uniformity.

If you are interested in the Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler then it's best to contact the company for specifics on performance and sizing. After all, if you have a system large enough to require a head like this, then you are undertaking a massive job. It's best to communicate with the factory or at least an authorized distributor of the product. The company recommends that have a design prepared by a professional designer who has experience in creating large turf sprinkler systems.

The Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler is classified as a smart irrigation product. Smart irrigation can reduce your water usage, reduce your bills and practically eliminate harmful runoff. For more information on the Weathermatic CT70 rotary sprinkler visit the official website or look for an authorized dealer in your local area.

Use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjreVlmEbis landscape-paper where you want to kill weeds. Cover the landscape-paper with mulch; the paper rots down after a year, allowing you to hoe the ground to keep those weeds under control.

Some weeds need light to germinate, to start growing. All plants need light to keep growing. Even perennial, deep-rooted weeds like dock weed will exhaust their stored food supply and die if they cannot photosynthesise because light is excluded.

Mulch does a good j ob of excluding any light; it also stops wind blown seeds from reaching the ground and rooting. Mulch however will not stop deep-rooted weeds from growing http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/ through it.

The mulch needs something underneath if it is to have any chance of stopping dock weed or dandelions. Weed control fabric is designed to do that job. It does so very well, but weed control fabric allows wind blown seeds to put roots down, through it, to the soil. These weeds cannot then be removed by hoeing, because the fabric stops the hoe cutting off the weed just below ground level.

landscape-paper is a new, lower cost, alternative to weed control fabric.

You roll out the landscape-paper onto your vegetable or flower garden. You cut 3 inch diameter holes in it and plant your annuals, cabbage s and onions through the holes. Cover the landscape-paper with mulch and you have an attractive looking and totally weed-free vegetable garden or annual border.

landscape-paper comes in rolls 3 feet wide and 25 feet long. It is a pale brown color and it is biodegradable. The paper only lasts one season, but its low cost means that replacing it next season is no big deal.

If landscape-paper is not available where you live there are similar alternatives you might consider using.

Woodchip wallpaper is the first alternative, low cost, non-bleached paper with splinters stuck in it. It will cover the ground in exactly the same way and rot down into the soil after a year. Wallpaper rolls are only abo ut 2 feet wide though, so by the time you have done more overlapping than with the wider landscape-paper your savings will be minimal.

The paper underlay designed for underneath carpets might be a better alternative. It has no splinters in it and it is usually 6 feet wide, meaning less is wasted through overlaps.

Sheets of newspaper will also do the same job of separating mulch from soil, but these will not stop deep-rooted weeds in the same way as the others will. Use color printed newspaper if you want them to rot down more slowly.

You can also use newspaper sheets where you are laying turf. Just put the newspaper down on top of the raked soil. Weigh them down with stones and leave them for a month. Most of the weeds will have died by the end of the month and you can just roll the turf out on top of the newspaper.